---
title: "From Hobby Tool to Default: Expo's Journey and the New App Awards"
description: "Jon Samp (Expo) discusses the framework's evolution since becoming the React Native default, the death of the \"eject\" mentality, and the launch of the Expo App Awards."
url: https://www.callstack.com/podcasts/from-hobby-tool-to-default-expos-journey-and-the-new-app-awards
updated: 2026-10-24T08:39:42.408Z
---

# From Hobby Tool to Default: Expo's Journey and the New App Awards

Jon Samp (Expo) discusses the framework's evolution since becoming the React Native default, the death of the "eject" mentality, and the launch of the Expo App Awards.

_Guest: Jon Samp, Head of Product @ Expo · Host: Łukasz Chludziński, Engineering Manager @ Callstack · Published 2025-12-09 · Duration 08:43 · Category: Expo_

Listen: [YouTube](https://youtu.be/UKd50Bkf_Sc)

It's been a year and a half since Expo was named the official framework for React Native. Jon Samp, Head of Product, discusses how this shifted the team's focus to be "more general to a lot more use cases."

He addresses the old perception of Expo as a "hobby app" tool, noting that while the sentiment has faded, it's the result of technical decisions that opened the platform to professional native code. The goal is to ensure developers never hit a roadblock that forces them to migrate.

To celebrate this professional ecosystem, Expo has launched the Expo App Awards. It's a way to showcase that apps built with React Native and Expo are "some of the best apps in the app store."

Insights

## Learn more about Expo

Here's everything we published recently on this topic.

[View all](https://www.callstack.com/insights)

- [Expo UI with SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose in practice](https://www.callstack.com/events/expo-ui-meets-native-jetpack-compose-and-swiftui-in-practice) (Mar 26 · Live Stream): Exploring Expo UI with SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose, including setup challenges, architecture tradeoffs, and real-world developer insights.
- [How to Gradually Migrate From React Native Community CLI to Expo](https://www.callstack.com/events/how-to-gradually-migrate-from-react-native-cli-to-expo) (Aug 5 · Webinar): Learn how to migrate your React Native Community CLI app to Expo incrementally, with minimal risk. A recording of a webinar hosted by Callstack & Expo.
- [Universal React Native Apps with DOM & React Server Components](https://www.callstack.com/podcasts/universal-react-native-apps-with-dom-react-server-components) (Jan 2 · Podcast): Tune in to discussion with Evan Bacon, Expo Router's creator, about how DOM and React Server Components make creating React Native universal apps a breeze.
- [Improving Developer Experience With Expo](https://www.callstack.com/podcasts/improving-developer-experience-with-expo) (Oct 11 · Podcast): In this episode, we dive into Expo's potential to reshape the future of React Native development and enhance the developer experience. Our guests are Jon Samp, Head of Product at Expo, and Cedric van Putten, a Software Engineer at Expo. Tune in to learn how Expo can help you build React Native apps faster and more efficiently.
- [How to Make Mobile Payment in a React Native App With Stripe and Expo in 15 Minutes](https://www.callstack.com/blog/mobile-payment-in-react-native-with-stripe-and-expo) (Jun 17 · Article): Learn how to make your first React Native payment in a mobile app with Stripe and Expo. We provide a step-by-step guide.